In a move that has very much divided opinion, Oxford United have decided to sack Gary Rowett, with the U’s sat 22nd in the Championship table.
The reason this has caused so much controversy is because in the eyes of many, Rowett is exactly who you would want at the helm if you were in Oxford’s current predicament.
A manager who is able to grind out results and get some points on the board when needed.
It’s exactly what he did after his appointment last season, going unbeaten in his first six and being named Championship Manager Of The Month For January.
So, who will be looking to get off to just as quick of a start when they take the reigns at the Kassam Stadium.
The current favourite to land the job is Liam Manning. The 40 year-old has been out of work since his disastrous 17 game tenure with Norwich City earlier this season.
Under his management, the Canaries lost ten out of fifteen league games and became the first team in the history of English football’s second tier to lose their first seven home league games of the season.
Furthermore, they lost their first East Anglia derby for 16 years.
Manning wouldn’t need any time to adjust to life in the Southeast, having managed Oxford between March and November 2023. During that time, he won 14 of 29 matches, leaving the U’s 2nd in League One.
A manager with bags of experience in these kinds of jobs, Steve Bruce’s name is also in the mix. Certainly not a long-term option but he could steady the ship until the end of the season.
However, like Manning, Bruce would not be coming into the club off of the back of a stellar performance. He was sacked by Blackpool in October, leaving them second bottom in League One.
As good of a manager as Bruce can be in this kind of situation, surely Oxford would want someone with a bit more momentum behind them.
Despite a fantastic start to the season with Stevenage, Alex Revell could make the step up to Oxford. The Boro are currently 4th in League One and have conceded the fewest goals in the division.
However, they are surrounded by teams who will likely have more money than them to spend in January. If this does happen, Stevenage could find themselves slipping away.
In anticipation of this, Revell may well feel like trying his luck with Oxford. As good as Stevenage have been defensively, goals have been harder to come by compared to their fellow playoff contenders.
Whoever they land on, this is a decision that Oxford need to get spot on. The Championship relegation battle has essentially been narrowed down to Blackburn Rovers, Portsmouth and Oxford United themselves.
Even then, they are six points behind Blackburn. Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday are both below all of them, but Norwich are expected to get out of it, and Sheffield Wednesday are basically already relegated.
